


Shot Through the Hart

by Scandalmuss



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Grosse Point Blank AU, M/M, Professional Killer Harry Hart, Radio DJ Eggsy, Rom Com Believability
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 13:01:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9124912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scandalmuss/pseuds/Scandalmuss
Summary: Harry Hart is a professional assassin. He's on a mission in Birmingham, and by coincidence, his twenty-year army reunion is taking place at the same time.But ever since Lee Unwin's death 17 years ago, Harry has avoided Birmingham and the Unwin Family.Reconciliation was expected. Falling in love was not.A Grosse Pointe Blank AU





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my VERY late entry for the Reel Kingsman event! Grosse Pointe Blank is one of John Cusack's best movies, you should totally watch it.
> 
> I messed around with the timeline and obviously had to change some stuff because in the movie, the main character goes back to his hometown to rekindle his romance with an ex. That story line wouldn't have worked with Harry/Eggsy. So we will use Rom Com Believability for Harry and Eggsy's blossoming feelings.

Harry Hart glared at the sun through the window in his rented (by the hour) hotel room. He’d paid extra for the windowed corner room but he was currently regretting it. His job: to kill another killer. A hit was put out on a local politician and Harry had been given the job of taking out the killer. Word on the street was that the idiots who wanted the politician dead, didn’t want to pay a lot of money for a solid hitman so they’d hired an enthusiastic bike messenger. 

He checked the scope on his long-range rifle and hummed quietly as everything clicked into place. A quick buzz on his hip made him grimace slightly before tapping his earpiece, “Yes, Roxy? I’m a bit busy, what is it?”

“Do you still want to order the ammunition we’d discussed earlier?”

“Yes, transfer money to the Horizon Limited account, order that back up silencer we’d talked about too.”

“Understood. Umm, Sir? May I read you something?” Harry’s sigh was all she needed to know she was allowed to continue. Her normally calm voice suddenly became ridiculously chipper, “Dear RAMC alumni! Has it been 25 years already?”

Harry groaned, effectively shutting Roxy up. He’d ignored every single letter his old army regiment had sent him over the years, seventeen years to be exact. Ever since his favourite cadet, Lee Unwin had died, Harry had avoided everything to do with RAMC. Lee hadn’t even died during his service period, he’d had a brain aneurysm, two years after having to retire early, due to an injury in the field; he’d left a wife and small child behind. Harry eternally felt guilty for basically abandoning Michelle and Gary. But Lee’s death hit him hard. All of the training, all of hard work he’d put into Lee, undone by a fucking brain hemorrhage. Nothing he could’ve done, would’ve saved Lee Unwin. Seeing Michelle and Gary would have only reminded him of his massive failures. So he took the cowardly way out and avoided them entirely. 

Michelle had stopped trying to contact him after their first Christmas without Lee. Harry kept that Christmas card under the ink blotter on his desk, and pulled it out only on the anniversary of Lee’s death, as he made a toast to his fallen friend. 

He shook his head, trying to loosen the hard memories, “Roxanne Morton, you’ve been told to burn all of those letters,” he chastised, checking the time on his watch. He looked out the far window, waiting for the bike messenger. 

“Harry, I think it’d be good for you to go! You know, maybe settle some things?”

Harry scoffed, “It’s basically the last thing on this earth I want to do. I’m pretty sure Michelle Unwin would kill me the moment I got into town.” His eyes widened as he saw the bike messenger come over the hill, he pointed his rifle at the man and slowly followed the cyclist as he rode down the hill. The messenger pulled a small gun out of his jacket and took aim at the politician exiting the hotel across from Harry, Harry walked backwards slowly and kept his sight trained on the would-be assassin. Once the messenger got near the hotel, Harry took his shot and watched smugly as the bike messenger fell dead, off his bike, he looked back at his gun case and started to take it apart. “Roxy, I’m not going back. End of discussion.”

“But Harry!” she teased, “You’ll feel so much better if you go and bury the hatchet, so to speak.”

He stood up straight and glared at the wall, “You know what I do for a living, Roxy, don’t tease me.”

Roxy’s laugh was bright but interrupted by unsilenced gunshots. Harry whipped around and looked back out the window. The politician was dead on the ground, surrounded by his dead bodyguards. Harry snatched his scope back up and focussed on the figure tossing their guns aside. A familiar face suddenly came into focus, “Oh for fuck sakes!” Harry cursed loudly. 

“Jesus, were those gunshots?!” 

“Yes they fucking were!” he muttered angrily, starting to re-pack his case, “It’s Chester bloody King!”

He could hear Roxy’s irritation over the phone, “Why on earth is  _ he _ there?!” 

“I don’t know and I’m not about to stay to find out,” he huffed, rushing out of the room. 

 

\-----

 

Roxy had always tried to deliver bad news in a good way, but there were some days where she could just  _ tell _ Harry was in a foul mood. Today had been that kind of day. At least he was still stuck in traffic. “I’ve just gotten off the phone with some very unhappy customers, sir.”

“And how is that my problem? They paid me for one job, the messenger!” He worried his bottom lip, “We might as well find out why on earth Chester King was there as well.”

Roxy’s fingers flew over her keyboard, “I’ll see what I can dig up, Harry.”

He ended the call and his grip tightened on the steering wheel as he sat in the slowest traffic known to man, fingers tapping an irritated beat on the wheel. He hated Chester King. The man had once been his mentor but after a falling out, over money of all fucking things, Harry happily went solo. Chester had never forgiven him. There was a brief period in the beginning where Chester had poached jobs from Harry left and right. The man was an asshole with no class. Pure and simple.

His phone buzzed again, he tapped the earpiece, “Yes?” he sighed tiredly. 

“How about a Greenpeace boat?”

The headache behind Harry’s left eye was beginning to blossom painfully, “As a job?”

It was Roxy’s turn to sigh, “Yes, Harry. A job. It’d be super simple. Get in, kill the crew, get out.”

“I’m not destroying a Greenpeace boat, Roxy. I may kill people for money, but I at least have some scruples.”

“Fine,” she huffed out, “There’s a call coming through, may I patch him in?”

“Not if it’s Chester!” Harry shouted, finally driving out of the downtown traffic and taking the service road, parking by an old junk yard. He barely heard Roxy’s chuckle before Chester’s smooth voice came over the line. 

“Harry Hart, how are you?” he sang brightly.

Harry’s lips thinned, “Fine, Chester. How are you?” he said flatly.

Chester’s joviality screamed false but the man kept it up, “I have never, ever been better, Hart! Job is wonderful! Family is great!”

“Uh huh,” Harry rolled his eyes, “What do you want, Chester?”

“Oh come now, Hart! Be nice!”

Harry’s eyes flicked to his rearview mirror, Chester’s beloved jaguar was zooming down the road towards him. He sighed and got out of the car, leaning up against the back of it. “I’m being civil, Chester, you can’t ask for much more.”

Chester’s laugh was grating, “Right, of course, I forgot who I was dealing with.” Chester pulled up behind Harry’s vehicle, stepping out almost before the vehicle had fully stopped. His toothy grin was blinding in the late afternoon sun. 

“Look, is this going to be quick? I have somewhere to be.” Harry stepped away from his car and hesitantly made his way towards Chester. He watched as Chester tossed his phone back into his vehicle and visibly sized Harry up. 

“Looking good, Hart,” he stuck out his hand for a quick, almost non-existent handshake. 

Harry tried not to wipe his hand after the handshake, “Is this about the union thing?”

Chester scoffed, “Union thing makes it sound so awful. Consider it a club of like-minded individuals, with similar talents and interests.”

“Right,” Harry crossed his arms, “And who have you signed?”

That seemed to brighten Chester’s mood immensely, “We got the twins-”

“From Italy?”

“Yeah, brilliant boys, lucky to have them. Also just signed the contract on Amelia Warren that sharpshooter from Germany and the Beirut Butcher!”

“You got Poranski?!” 

Chester smiled smugly, “We got Poranski.”

Harry nodded thoughtfully, “That’s a good get. Good for you, Chester.”

“You’d be an excellent addition to the crew Harry.”

“Not happening,” he rolled his eyes sarcastically, “I work alone and will continue to do so.”

Chester’s demeanor darkened instantly, “You realize this puts you in the crosshairs, right Harry? This offer isn’t going to happen again.”

Harry matched Chester’s glare, “I don’t want it to happen again. I can look after myself.”

“Of  _ course _ you can,” Chester said through gritted teeth. “Consider this fair warning then,” he turned around and walked back towards his car, “You might as well have a target painted on your back, Hart,” he called back icily and got in and drove away. 

Harry groaned loudly and made a fist, wanting to punch something desperately. He just had an inkling that he was going to have to eventually kill Chester.

 

\-----

 

It had been two weeks since the Chester debacle and Harry was in the midst of a new job. He’d broken into the flat above his mark and set up his tripod and syringe holder. Earlier in the week he’d drilled a tiny hole in the floor that matched up with the vent above the mark’s bed. He lowered a long, thin metallic camera cord, followed closely by a thin plastic wire, positioning them both right over the mark’s open, snoring mouth. He checked his watch to confirm that it was the exact time of night (according to his research) that the man would be in the deepest of sleeps. His eyes moved from the small screen attached to the tripod, showing him the view of the man’s rather large mouth to the syringe on top of it all. 

He pressed lightly on the top of the syringe and watched the blue liquid, slowly cascade down the plastic wire. He truly did love working with poisons. In his own personal opinion, it was a lost art. Harry continued to press the syringe plunger gently, his eyes drifting to the screen. The poison was three inches away...two….one…and just as the poison was set to drop onto the mark’s tongue...the man turned his head and the poison fell on his cheek, effectively waking him up. 

“Fuck!” Harry hissed. He ripped up the camera cord and basically shoved everything back into his large duffle bag. He stood up, checked his gun and ran downstairs. He kicked open the mark’s door and clicked the safety off of his gun, shooting the man in the stomach. 

The man panicked and fell back on the bed, arms raised in surrender, “Please! I’ll pay you! I’ll give you anything you want!”

Harry fought the urge to scoff.  _ Why do they always think money is the way out? _ He levelled his gun at the man’s head, “It has nothing to do with me,” and he pulled the trigger.

 

\-----

 

Roxy stood ramrod straight and hugged the folders close to her chest. Another botched job and Harry’s mood was no doubt about to plummet even further. She pursed her lips and wandered back and forth within her section of their office until she heard Harry’s familiar footsteps. She peered around the doorframe and watched him walk in casually. 

He fiddled with papers on his desk, moved his lamp to three different spots and clicked a pen a half dozen times before he made eye contact with her, “What?”

She took a deep breath, “They’re unhappy, sir.”

Harry looked offended, “I’M unhappy!”

“It was supposed to look like a heart attack! He was supposed to die in his sleep!”

“Well, research showed that he was supposed to be asleep during that time and he fucking wasn’t, so I did what I had to.”

Roxy walked into the room and grimaced, “This is a very important firm for us! They want you to make amends.”

Harry exhaled deeply, “When?”

“By this coming Monday. There’s a deposition planned for a witness and they want them taken care of before it goes to court.”

“This Monday? That’s not enough time. I won’t do it.”

“Harry,” Roxy pleaded, “This isn’t that kind of scenario. You need to do this.”

Harry glared at the red dossier in Roxy’s arms, “Fine, where the hell is this job?”

A slow smirk crossed Roxy’s face. Which only meant trouble for Harry, if their shared history meant anything. “It’s in Birmingham, sir.”

He was less than pleased, “So the exact location that the reunion is taking place in?”

“Yes sir,” she nodded emphatically, “You can sneak in a kill and say hi to old friends, all in a weekend!”

Harry stood up and held out his hands for the stupid dossier, “I hate how excited you are about this, by the way.” He took the file and walked towards the door.

Roxy shrugged and smiled, “I just find it interesting that you have an actual history.”

“And such a fun one at that,” he joked mirthlessly. He looked at the clock and frowned, “Can you call Merlin and tell him I’ll be in in about thirty?”

“Of course,” Roxy nodded, already pulling up the therapist’s number on her phone.

 

\-----

 

Harry sat in a ridiculously overstuffed chair in Merlin’s office, hands clasped together tightly, “I got another army reunion letter in the mail,” he groaned lightly, “I don’t think I even want to go.” He leaned back in the chair, “I don’t have anything in common with those people anymore anyways. They’ve all gone on to have families and children and they have actual lives. What the fuck could I even say?” He put on a posh voice, “The highlight of my year was killing the president of Paraguay with a fork. How have  _ you _ been?” He rolled his eyes and looked up at Merlin for any advice, but noticed something, “Wait, why aren’t you taking any notes?”

Merlin clutched at his head, silently begging Harry to shut up, “Harry, I’m not taking any notes because -  _ and you know this _ \- I’m not your doctor.”

“And how are you not my doctor?!”

Merlin sighed, “Because I told you I didn’t want to see you anymore! It took you  _ four _ sessions to tell me what you did for a living and then I said I couldn’t work with you, yet you keep showing up! I can’t do this!”

Harry rolled his eyes, “Yes you can. Besides, I’m trying to be serious about this process.” He looked up at Merlin and grinned, “Anyways, I know where you live.”

“Oh, come on! How is that supposed to make me feel better?!” Merlin threw up his hands in outrage.

“I never said it should!” Harry crossed his arms and pouted like a toddler, “I was kidding anyways. But the reality is, if I show up at your door, chances are you did something to bring me there.”

“Super helpful and comforting,” Merlin groused, “Can we be done now?”

“Let’s at least try to have a regular relationship. How about dreams or something?”

Merlin stood up and paced around his office, “You want to discuss dreams? Fine, go right ahead.” He waved off in Harry’s direction.

Settling further into the chair, Harry crossed his legs, “Well, I had another one about Lee.”

“The dead soldier you’re obsessed with?”

Indignant, Harry scoffed loudly, “How the hell am I obsessed?”

The therapist sat back behind his desk, tenting his fingers, “Harry, you’ve had reoccurring dreams about the same person for over ten years. That is the definition of obsessive.”

“Hang on, they’re nightmares not dreams. And I’m not obsessed!”

Merlin looked unimpressed, “Are you telling me how to do my job?”

Harry’s head fell back against the chair, “I’m just trying to tell you that it’s not like  _ that _ !” he groaned.

“Like what?”

“It’s not sexual! I can just see that you think I’m obsessed with him because I was in love with him and blah blah blah.” Harry glared at him, “He was a good friend at most. I think I keep dreaming about him because I feel guilty.”

“About killing people?”

Harry levelled a vicious look at Merlin, “I’ll have you know I have no problems with the actual morality of my job,  _ Doctor _ .” He looked away and stared at a bookshelf. “It’s the mortality portion I’m dealing with. I abandoned his family when they needed me the most. And no amount of training that I gave him, could’ve saved his life.”

“And so that’s why you’re struggling with whether or not to go back to the reunion?”

“Yes,” he said defeatedly.

“Then here is an  _ unofficial  _ answer because I am  _ not _ your therapist, Go back. Talk to his family. Finish this.” Merlin watched Harry take in his advice, “And maybe try not to kill anyone while you’re there.”

Harry stood up and shook Merlin’s hand, “I can’t make any promises,” he winked, enjoying Merlin’s groan as he left the office. 

 

\-----

 

Chester King sat at his desk, fingers tracing the rim of his glass of scotch. His eyes drifted over his computer screen, taking in details for an upcoming job. He jumped a little in his chair when a message notification came through and pinged loudly.

**Alternate vendor has been chosen.**

“What?!” His jaw fell open as he glared at the screen, “Alternate vendor?” He started to type back immediately,

**Please be rest assured, all arrangements have been made on our end. The job will be completed. Have faith.**

His foot tapped nervously, awaiting the employer’s answer.

**Alternate vendor has been chosen, Horizon Limited has the job now. Have a good day.**

“Horizon-” Chester suddenly remembered why that name was so familiar, “Harry fucking Hart stole the Birmingham job from me?! Oh, that bastard!”

_ First, Hart refuses to join the union and then he steals a fucking job? _ “Oh, I’m going to kill him”

He picked up the phone and dialed, waiting for the other side to pick up, “Hello? Yes, put me through to Valentine, please.”

 

\------

  
“What are you gonna do when you get there?” Roxy pestered.

“Check into my hotel, Roxy,” Harry said flatly, making sure he didn’t miss the turn off for Birmingham.

“Are you gonna go by the radio station?”

“The rad- how the fuck do you know about the radio station?”

Roxy’s smug tone was very apparent over the phone, “I may have done some research. I know Lee Unwin worked there before he died and I also know that his son, now known as “Eggsy”, is the current DJ at the same station.”

Harry bit his lip, he hadn’t known about Gary, or Eggsy working at the station. He’d had plans to drive by, see if it still looked the same, maybe go inside and take a look around. But if Eggsy was there…. _ fuck _ . Harry took a deep breath and focussed on the road, “I haven’t decided yet.”

“I doubt Eggsy would even recognize you. I mean, how old was he when you saw him last?”

“Seven,” he answered without any hesitation. He knew the exact age he left both Michelle (twenty-six years and one month) and Gary- Eggsy (seven years and four months and eight days) at. That was another unpleasant side effect of being haunted by past decisions. The accuracy of your failures. 

“Oooo! He’s cute!” Roxy chirped, “There’s a picture of him on their website! Want me to send it to you?”

“Piss off, Roxy,” he grumbled, “I don’t need to know how  _ cute _ a fallen colleague's son is.”

“I dunno, Harry, he’s pretty cute,” she paused knowingly, “and it  _ has _ been a while-”

Harry abruptly ended the call. 

 

\-----

 

Harry stood on the corner of Oozells Street, opposite of the Freeradio Birmingham building, his hands flexing in his suit pockets. The radio booth was facing the main street, the room mostly made of windows so you could see into the booth if you wanted. Harry caught glimpses of a white cap moving behind the control desk and his heart skipped a beat. The music played out onto the street from a speaker up by the building’s sign; Harry couldn’t place the song that was playing, but it sounded like rap. 

There was no reason why he couldn’t just walk past it casually. He didn’t have to make eye contact with Eggsy, no one was going to force him to go inside if he didn’t want to. Harry looked up at the crosswalk sign, and nearly jogged across the street when it gave him the walk light. He dusted off his non-dusty jacket when he got to the other side, casually looking around as if he was searching for a street sign or something. He let his eyes drift over to the radio station window, all of four feet away from him; he stopped breathing the moment he saw Eggsy. 

The young man sat on a wheeled office chair, in a black and gold polo shirt and that white cap perched on his golden-looking hair. He was incredibly fit, judging by how the polo sleeves looked tight around his biceps and he was gorgeous. Fuck sakes was he gorgeous. Harry was cursing himself and Roxy for not seeking out a picture of Eggsy sooner, so as to avoid the awkward staring he was currently doing. 

His breath came back to him and then abruptly left again as Eggsy’s eyes found his through the window. They were like green sea glass and Harry found himself even more unable to look away. Not even when Eggsy squinted at him and then a look of realization dawned on his face. Harry visibly startled when an unfamiliar voice came through the speakers,

“That was “Informer” by Snow on this all 90’s weekend on Freeradio Birmingham! I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome back members of the RAMC for their 25th reunion weekend,” Eggsy’s pointed eye contact made Harry squirm, and his voice suddenly held very little friendliness, “It’s been awhile for some of you RAMC’ers! Make sure to say hi to people who supposedly meant a lot to you but you’ve avoided for seventeen years!” he finished coldly. “Now here’s “What is love?” by Haddaway.” He pressed a few buttons and the bass thumping music started up again. 

Eggsy crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair and stared at Harry challengingly. He raised an eyebrow and nodded his head towards the studio door. 

Harry stood frozen to the spot. Eggsy did remember him. And he wasn’t happy to see him.  _ Fuck, you fool. MOVE. This was the worst idea. _

He corrected himself thirty seconds later when Eggsy, apparently tired of waiting for him, popped his head out through the door, “Are you coming in or are you gonna run away again?”

_ This _ _ was now the worst fucking idea.  _

Finding the will to move, Harry tentatively followed Eggsy into the studio. Eggsy gestured to a spare chair and sat back down in his own. 

“Where have you been?”

The young man’s handsomeness was far more intimidating in person, “Uh,” Harry stalled till his brain could catch the fuck up. “Working?”

Eggsy ran his tongue along the underside of his teeth, “Working,” he said in disbelief. “You’ve just been working for seventeen years? That’s it?” When Harry didn’t answer, Eggsy scoffed, “That’s a crap excuse and you know it.”

The song came to an end and Eggsy slipped his headphones back on and pulled his microphone up to his lips, “That was “What is love?” by Haddaway! Next up on the RAMC reunion weekend, we have an interview with an old-” Eggsy glared at Harry, “- _ old _ family friend. Say “hi’” to the listeners, Harry.”

Harry’s eyes widened and he shook his head vehemently, Eggsy glared and rolled over, thrusting the microphone into Harry’s face.

“Now, Harry, the big question on everyone’s mind is, why did you leave?”

The  _ us  _ portion of that sentence was silent but all too audible to Harry. He sighed and leaned forward to the mic, “I was working.”

“For seventeen years straight?”

“I was overseas a lot.”

“Riiiiight,” Eggsy grinned sarcastically, he twirled a pen between his fingers. “What do you think, dedicated listeners? Should that weak arsed excuse be allowed? Let me know what you think after we hear from Sting, with “If I ever lose my faith in you”.” He pressed a button and turned to face Harry, a very smug grin plastered on his face.

The guilt ricocheted around Harry’s chest the more he looked at Eggsy. His body took control before he had a chance to think it through, he stood up abruptly, “I’m so sorry, this was a mistake.” Harry stiffly left the control booth and shoved his body through the front doors of the station. He stopped in front of the window again and looked back at Eggsy. The young man looked positively heartbroken for all of a second before his lips thinned out and he glared back. 

Harry couldn’t leave like this. He’d made the trip mainly to make amends to the Unwin family and he was fucking it up entirely. He took a very deep breath and boldly walked back into the booth, much to Eggsy’s surprise and sat back down in the chair. 

Eggsy looked at him carefully, “You gonna leave again?”

“No,” Harry said firmly. To prove his point, he picked up the spare set of headphones and put them on. He looked at Eggsy and hoped he looked apologetic enough. “When your father died, I panicked. I’ll never be able to forgive myself for leaving you and your Mum alone.”

“Good.” Eggsy crossed his arms but felt a little defeated. He had been all set to get into a huge row with the man but now Harry was back and apparently ready to talk. “So where have you really been?”

Harry sighed, “I was serious when I said I was working. After Lee’s death, I couldn’t have any down time, I worked myself to the point where I actually had to be sedated and on bed rest for a short spell. The fact that I couldn’t have saved him, even if I tried,  _ devastated _ me, Eggsy. I couldn’t allow myself to think about mortality and in order to do that, I needed to dedicate myself solely to my job.”

“And what  _ is  _ your job?”

There was no sense in lying to the boy any further, “I’m a professional killer.”

“Do you get dental with that?” Eggsy teased, obviously not believing Harry at all. 

Harry shook his head, “I mean, no, but yes? I pay into a separate company for that- fuck, that’s not important.”

“I think if it helps explain why you were away, it’s important to me.” Eggsy finished quietly. 

Leaning forward, Harry clasped his hands together, “You know I don’t have a good excuse as to why I left you so long ago but, please, believe me when I say I’m sorry.”

Eggsy had been about to answer when the song ended. He held up a finger, pausing his conversation with Harry, “And that was “If I ever lose my faith in you” by Sting. I’m looking at the phone here and it looks like we’ve got a few callers who have some advice for me, Harry.” He pressed the first blinking light on the phone, “Hello caller, what do you think about Harry’s terrible excuse?”

“I say chuck ‘im!” a nasally voice said triumphantly.

“That’s one for the No pile, Harry,” Eggsy grinned, pressing the next button, “What about you, caller? Is it ever possible to forgive something like that?”

“Absolutely! I bet he’s a nice bloke and everyone makes mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance!”

Eggsy made a surprised sound, “Ooo one for the Yes pile!”  He shot a playful look Harry’s way. The man just looked gutted and Eggsy was starting to feel bad about taking the piss out of Harry so thoroughly. He tried winking at Harry, hoping it would get him to smile. 

It did. 

After a few more calls, Eggsy tallied up the votes, “Well Harry, it looks like the masses have spoken, I think I have to accept your apology now.”

Harry leaned in too close to the microphone, “Oh, thank goodness!”

Eggsy laughed and rolled over, moving the mic away from Harry’s face, “You don’t need to be that close, love,” he joked, covering the mic. He rolled back to his spot, “Well, let’s just head into the next song, “Cryin’” by Aerosmith. And a big welcome back to the RAMC reunion!”

Harry tried to fight the small smile threatening to turn into a wide grin, he looked over at Eggsy, watching him studying Harry in return, “I am truly sorry Eggsy.”

“I know,” Eggsy said quietly, “I’m sorry too. For ambushing you on the air, I know a lot o’ people don’t do well like that.”

“It’s more than okay, I deserve the worst for what I did.”

Eggsy’s look softened, “I definitely thought that when I first saw you out there.’ He slowly rolled back over till his knees touched Harry’s, “But when you said what you did about not being able to save my Da’...” Eggsy sniffed and swallowed the tears that wanted to suddenly make an appearance, “I felt bad for you. I always just kind of figured that Mum and I were the only ones really grieving. When you didn’t stick around, it seemed like you just didn’t care about us anymore.” He looked up at Harry and grimaced weakly, “And I believed that. Up until today.”

“It means so much to me that you’ve at least heard my side of it, Eggsy.” Harry said happily, noting a very similar look on Eggsy’s face. He took a quick look at his watch and pushed his chair back a bit, to put some much needed distance between himself and Eggsy. “I’ve got to go check into my hotel, but I’d love to catch up with you later, if you’re open to it?” The shy tone of his voice had been shocking, even to him. 

The young man let his eyes drift up Harry’s fit body, trying desperately to not make it look like he was checking the man out but instead just watching him get up, “Yeah, that’d be alright.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re living at my Nan’s place now.”

“The mansion up on the hill?”

“Yeah, we moved in after Da’ died. Mostly to keep my Nan company but it worked out for us in the end.”

Harry nodded thoughtfully. He’d actually been to the Unwin mansion before, once when Lee’s mum had insisted he go for dinner and then again when he went to pay his respects for Lee. “That’s quite a lot of room for the two of you!”

Eggsy shook his head, “Three of us. I’ve got a wee baby sis, although I guess she’s not a baby anymore, she’s three going on fifteen. A right handful she is,” he grinned, unable to stop himself. Daisy was the light of his life and he honestly didn’t care who knew it. 

“Her father isn’t a part of the picture anymore?” Harry hated himself for asking that outright, but he couldn’t resist. Knowing there was another Unwin around, made him want to apologize even more to Michelle. Harry didn’t miss the way Eggsy frowned at the mention of his sister’s father.

“He was a waste of skin. Trouble from the start, basically took off once Mum got pregnant. We’re well shot of him,” he said angrily, looking at the floor. 

Dean had been a piece of work. All smiles and shit till Eggsy came home with a new boyfriend. Things got ugly (homophobic) fast, and then they had found out about his drug selling amongst other unmentionable activities. His mum had made it very clear that unless Dean wasn’t going to clean up his life and be there for his unborn child, he might as well get the fuck out. Which he did. Eggsy may have gone and gotten righteously fucked by the new boyfriend that night. 

Harry chose not to pay much attention to the blush blossoming on Eggsy’s cheeks. Absolutely no attention paid to the way the young man chewed on his bottom lip. None whatsoever. He cleared his throat roughly, bringing Eggsy’s attention back to him, “Maybe I’ll stop by tonight, if that’s okay?”

“Yeah, sure, that’s fine,” he said casually, as if he wasn’t having a rather graphic shag flashback at that moment.  _ I wonder what Tom is up to now? Maybe I should call him... _ He shook that thought loose and looked back up at Harry, “Anytime after 8 is good. Daisy will be in bed by then.” The bright smile on Harry’s face was enough to make Eggsy’s heart grow two sizes. 

“Tonight then,” Harry nodded, waving as he walked out of the studio.

He felt lighter than air. He had Eggsy’s forgiveness and was going to set things right between himself and the rest of the Unwin clan. Harry took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh spring air. Life was good, for the first time in ages. He didn’t want to put too much stock into how much he wanted to get to know Eggsy in a less than proper way either. He was only in town for the weekend, no sense in getting hung up on something like that. 

Harry’s eyes drifted down the sidewalk to the small shops that had been there since he had been a child and then some new, more current looking shops. He smiled at a young woman pushing a stroller, smiling more widely when she smiled back. Harry kept walking, his gait casual, until his eyes fell on a young woman who stuck out like a sore thumb. 

Her dark, almost exaggeratedly straight hair, cascaded over her shoulders, her bangs cut at such a fierce angle that when Harry met her eyes, he had been genuinely shocked that her stare all but pierced through him. It didn’t help that she was basically wearing the equivalent of a what a “sexy” funeral director would wear. She didn’t fit in at all, especially on such a bright, sunshiny day. Harry narrowed his gaze at her as she walked past him casually. He made a mental note to call Roxy to see what the fuck someone like that unsettling woman was doing in the exact same city he was. 

He resisted the temptation to turn around and watch her walk away, he turned the corner and bumped fully into a solid body, “Oh my! I’m terribly sorry!” he started, pressing a hand to the arm of the body.

“Hart?!”

Harry looked up and his jaw fell at the sight of James Lancelot, one of his best friends back in training, “James! How the hell are you?!”

James hugged Harry tightly, “Me, who cares about me! How are you?! I haven’t seen you in ages!” He clapped Harry on the shoulders.

“I’m well, thank you!” he grinned madly at seeing his oldest friend. He knew they hadn’t seen each other since Lee’s service but he didn’t want to mention it. 

“I need to buy you a drink, let’s go!” James looped his arm through Harry’s and dragged him over to his vehicle. 

Harry settled into the vehicle, “This is nice, James. Do you use it for work?”

James nodded, “Yeah, I’m a realtor now, got out of the army about eight years ago.”

Silence filled the car as James drove through the city. They stopped at a red light and Harry jumped when James slammed his fists against the steering wheel, and shouted, “SEVENTEEN YEARS! Seventeen fucking years, Harry!”

“I know, James,” he said calmly, hoping to stop James from shouting. 

James looked at him with a very serious look on his face, “Seventeen years! Seven-I mean oh my god! Seventeen years! What the hell have you done with yourself?!”

“I quit the army and went into business by myself,” he said carefully, holding up his hands in case James got slap-happy again. 

The light turned green and James carried on as if he hadn’t just had the biggest fucking freakout. “What kind of business are you in?”

Harry stared at the road ahead of them, “I’m a professional killer,” he deadpanned.

James didn’t miss a beat, “Did you have to go to school for that?”

“No, I really just picked up the necessary skills back in the army.”

“How about a pension?”

“I tend to just set money aside in a different account. Keep the government out of it entirely.”

“Good choice, good choice.” James signalled and turned down another side street, “Have you gone to see your Mum yet?”

Harry shook his head, “No, I was planning on stopping by the house later today.”

The car screeched to a halt, Harry’s hands shot out to stop himself from hitting the dashboard, “What in fresh hell was that for?!”

James just stared at Harry, “Oh god, she didn’t tell you?”

 

\-----

 

The next thing Harry knew, he was standing on the other side of the street from his childhood home. Or, where his childhood home used to be. His jaw had fallen almost comically as he stared at a Sainsbury Local in the place of his beloved childhood home. For the first time in ages, he felt hot tears prick his eyes, “What the hell…” he whispered, walking towards the giant store. 

The doors chimed happily as he walked in, still slack-jawed at the bright, consumer friendly store. There was a fucking drinks fridge where his living room used to be. “Oh what the fuck?!” he cried out, taking in all of the horrid changes. He stopped at the counter and made a sound at the young man behind the counter, “What are you doing here?” he whispered, as if anything louder would cause the entire place to collapse. 

“Workin’ a double shift, mate.”

“How long have you been here?!” he asked incredulously.

The young man, Ryan, according to his name tag, stared at him in confusion, “Dunno mate, like five hours?”

Harry shook his head, “No, how long have you been  _ here _ ?” he gestured to the entire store.

“Like six months? Why the fuck do you care?”

Harry grabbed Ryan by his shirt collar, “How long have your bosses been here?” his voice nearly hysterical.

Ryan shoved his hand away, “I don’t have to tell you nothin’, bruv!”

Making a high-pitched confused sound, Harry left the store and stalked back to his car. He pulled out his phone and immediately called Roxy, “Roxy, find my mum, I want my mum.”

 

\-----

 

Harry’s normally straight posture slumped over at the depressing sight of the Sunshine Valley Nursing Home. Nothing about the beige building said “sunshine”, Harry grimaced and grudgingly walked into the building. 

After asking for his mum, he strolled into what he was certain was a recreational room. It was filled with couches, card tables and assorted boxes of decrepit puzzles. He shuffled around the room till he heard the telltale squeak of a wheelchair pulling up behind him. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever he was about to face. 

He turned around and tried not to make a sound at the state of his mum. She looked sick and ancient, her old wig looking preposterously lopsided on her head. He tried to smile but he knew it looked pained at best, “Hi mum,”

His mum’s hands lifted up in request for his, “Oh my boy, Harry love,” she sang awkwardly, grasping his hands tightly. “Why didn’t you come for dinner yesterday? I called you! You said you’d take the train and bring me snapdragons.” 

Harry grimaced, “Mum, what happened to the house?”

She let go of his hand and stared off into space, “Some nice men asked to buy it! Oh they were lovely. Did you know, Snapdragon was the name of my son’s first dog?” she said to no one in particular. 

Heartbroken, Harry looked up at the nurse, silently begging her to make it better and give him back his real mum. 

The nurse took one look at his crestfallen expression and sighed, “Her dementia has been worsened by alzheimer's. Normally she’s quite lucid this time of day.” She shrugged sadly, “Sorry, sir.”

Harry shut his mouth quickly, worried about the sound that was bound to come out. The tears he’d blinked away earlier came back instantly. He pretended to clean his glasses and wiped his eyes as he put his glasses back on. The nurse started to roll his mum away but before they got too far, he called out to her, “Mum?”

The nurse turned the chair back around, when his mum smiled brightly at him, his heart suddenly felt less heavy. 

“Oh my!” she gasped, “What a handsome boy you are! What’s your name?”

Harry wasn’t fast enough to stop the squawk that slipped from his mouth. She didn’t even know who he was anymore. He nodded at the nurse to say it was okay to take her away. He collapsed onto the well worn orange couch and stared at the ceiling. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop from crying out loud, it had been an absolute shit day all of a sudden. 

This was why he didn’t want to come back. Because you can never truly go home again. 

 

\-----

 

Harry sat on his hotel bed, staring at his weapons case; he’d barely been in town for eight hours and he’d been through so many emotions he’d kept under wrap for nearly two decades. 

His phone buzzed from the nightstand and he tapped his earpiece, “Yes Roxy?”

“Have you killed the mark yet?”

He sighed, “No, not yet. I’m too busy getting the emotional shit beaten out of me.”

Roxy tsked sadly, “Oh God, seeing your mum didn’t go well?”

“No, it fucking well did not,” he grumbled. “She had no idea who I was. Christ, it was awful.”

“I’m so sorry, Harry,” she said sadly. 

“It is what it is, Roxy,” he leaned back on the bed and flipped through the Bible that he found in a drawer. He let his brain wander for all of a moment before he remembered the woman he’d seen earlier that day. “Can you find out why there’s a spook in town? She looked fierce as hell, I need to know why she’s here.” He snapped the Bible shut, “Especially if they’ve double booked the bloody job and or she’s in town to kill me. I think I’d like to know which it is,” he said humorlessly. 

“I’ll find out and get back to you.” She started typing quickly, “Maybe kill the mark while you wait and then get some sleep. You need to get some sleep, Harry.”

Without thinking, Harry rolled his eyes, “Yes, Mother.” Roxy’s responding gasp only reminded him of his disastrous afternoon. _ Fuck, sakes _ . 

 

\------

 

Harry followed the long drive up to the Unwin estate, leaning forward to look at the grounds. His chest felt tighter the closer he got to the house. God, what if Eggsy had changed his mind?

He parked the car and walked up the side of the house, following the loud reggae music coming from the back. 

The lights were on and Harry jogged up the steps towards the music. He knocked politely, waited and then knocked a bit louder. 

The door swung open dramatically, Eggsy leaning against the door frame. He lazily gave Harry a once over, “Yah can’ com in,” he drawled in a terrible Jamaican accent, shaking his head. 

“I beg your pardon?”

Eggsy stood up straighter, still blocking the doorway, “Yah can’ com in!”

Harry raised an eyebrow, “Do I need to apologize again?”

Eggsy shrugged, stepping away from the door. “Yah apologize, yah com in, yeah?”

“I am sorry, Eggsy,” Harry grinned. 

The young man bowed exaggeratedly, “Com in, mahn!” He ran and jumped up on his bed, laughing as he bounced. 

Harry stepped inside and walked towards the bedroom, taking in his surroundings. Eggsy’s room was covered in posters and photos of his mum and sister and a single framed photo of Lee up on a shelf. He let his eyes fall on Eggsy’s relaxed body on the bed. He swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to forget about the feelings suddenly swirling in his stomach. The look in Eggsy’s eyes wasn’t making it any easier. 

He frowned briefly, the evening had taken a sudden and unexpected turn. The tension in the room was palpable and clearing his throat awkwardly did nothing to dislodge it, “Do you, erm, like living in this house?”

Eggsy stretched out for all of a moment and sat up properly, “It’s a lot of space, but it’s great for Daisy and that’s what matters,” he shrugged. 

Harry walked over and leaned against the bedpost, “I’m assuming she went to sleep on time?”

"Barely,” Eggsy said, pushing himself off of the bed, he took a few steps to stand near Harry, “Can I just say something?”

“Of course.”

Eggsy sighed, “Okay, well, I’m just gonna go for it and like I know this is weird but you're like, well fit, yeah? Like you're proper gorgeous,” he mumbled, staring at his socked feet. 

Flabbergasted, Harry stuttered out an, “I beg your pardon?!” before taking a few steps back. 

“Fuck, sorry. Just forget it,” he panicked, holding up his hands in surrender to Harry. “I thought I was picking up a certain kind of vibe from you and-god, let's just forget it.” He shuffled back to the bed, plopping down roughly. “I know it's weird, but like I don't even know what's going through my brain right now! You were my dad’s friend and I haven't seen you in forever and yeah I was mad at first but now I'm not and I shouldn't think you're sexy because that's just fucking weird,” he looked up at Harry and panicked, “and now I've just told you all of that and you're gonna think I'm some weird pervy kid!”

Harry's brain went offline. Completely. What does one do when you find out that your dead friend’s son tells you he's attracted to you? Do you put a name to all the feelings you've been ignoring? Do you make some joke about being just as pervy and then kiss him? 

No, if you are Harry Hart, you look bewildered for all of a moment before switching the topic entirely. 

“Are you going to the reunion? You know you'd be more than welcome as Lee’s son.”

_ That's it, remind him about how you used to know his dad, instead of telling him how much you'd like to snog the life out of him right now. Bold move, you idiot _ . 

Eggsy just stared at him, slack-jawed, “Really?!”

“Well of course you would be, Eggsy. You and your mother would be more than welcome, I’m sure you’ve already-”

“No-” Eggsy interrupted, “-I mean, really?! You’re just gonna skip over everything I just said?”

Harry’s lips thinned, “I feel like ‘gloss’ is a much better term.”

“Ugh fine, so you’re just gonna  _ gloss _ over everything I just said?”

“It’s better than me telling you I’ve wondered about how soft your lips are-” Harry shut his mouth, almost comically fast. 

Eggsy’s eyes widened and he stood up, “ _ Oh _ ,” he said softly. He walked over to where Harry stood and watched the man’s eyes flick over him cautiously. He took one more step closer to Harry, leaving mere inches between them. Looking up and meeting Harry’s eyes, Eggsy couldn’t help but suck in his bottom lip to wet it, all the while watching Harry follow the movement closely. “You don’t have to wonder anymore, if you don’t want to, Harry,” he said quietly, leaning in slightly.

_ Oh god, he’s even leaning in. Oh christ, the head tilt. _ Harry shut his eyes tightly and met Eggsy half-way. It had easily been the least romantic kiss of his adult life, he was out of breath instantly and far too rigid for any real movement to take place. Harry stepped back and tried not to feel disheartened by the look of disappointment on Eggsy’s face. He rested his hands on Eggsy’s shoulders, ‘Okay, um, ignore that one. Let me try again?”

“Only because you’ve  _ got  _ to be better than that poor excuse for a kiss, christ! All this pent up sexual tension wasted on-” Eggsy’s mouth was suddenly occupied with a proper first kiss. He shut his eyes and his hands slid up Harry’s firm chest and gripped the lapels of the man’s suit. He made an embarrassing sound when Harry’s warm hand cupped the side of his face, Harry taking the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Eggsy pressed his body up against the man’s, loving the warmth that radiated from under the pin-striped bespoke suit. He pulled back and let his forehead rest on Harry’s chest, “Oh my god,”

Harry kissed the top of his head, “A good ‘oh my god’ or a bad one?” he teased lightly. 

Eggsy let his hands fall and he wrapped them around Harry’s waist, “Shut up,” he groaned, “You can’t kiss a boy like that an’ expect him to, I dunno, speak good.”

“Well, Eggsy. Speak well.”

“Shut up!” Eggsy shoved him gently. He turned around and sat back down on the bed, “So, are you gonna go to the reunion?”

“For a bit at least.” Harry sat down next to him, “Although it would be much more tolerable if you were by my side, Eggsy.”

“You askin’ me out?”

“What if I was?”

Eggsy fell back against the mattress, crossing his arms behind his head, “I’d probably suggest that you at least buy me a drink first cos I’m not just gonna give it up on the first date.” He looked up at Harry, “Or maybe I will. Who knows what could happen if you keep wearing suits like that,” he winked. 

“What if I told you my entire wardrobe basically nothing but bespoke suits?”

“Well,” Eggsy started, rolling over to face Harry, “I’m no mathmagician, but I’m pretty sure that means the number of snog sessions is gonna increase tenfold.” He yanked on Harry’s jacket, awkwardly pulling the man down on top of him. The kiss was difficult, due to the angle of their bodies, until Harry bodily pushed Eggsy up further on to the bed so they could be more comfortable and the kissing could continue unhindered. 

Eggsy’s arms wrapped around Harry’s neck, pulling the man down further. He groaned when Harry let his full weight rest on him, the older man licking into his mouth. As much as he wanted to stay focused on the tongue currently in his mouth, Eggsy couldn’t help but notice how firm Harry’s body was. He didn’t have the average middle-aged man’s body and if Eggsy’s wandering hands were telling the truth, there were certainly pecs hidden under the now wrinkled white button down shirt. He instantly felt light-headed and pulled back so he could take a much needed breath, his eyes fluttered shut when Harry immediately started kissing his neck. “Fuck, you are actually well fit, aren’t you?”

Harry leaned up on his elbows and stared down at the flushed young man underneath him, “Is that going to be an issue?” he teased.

“Fuck no.” Eggsy squirmed, gasping when his thigh brushed against Harry’s incredibly hard prick. He looked into Harry’s darkened eyes and took a deep breath, slowly spreading his legs. Harry’s body slipped into the space between them and Eggsy couldn’t help the moan that fell from his lips when their erections brushed up against each other. 

“You’re a bit of a tart, aren’t you?” Harry said huskily, grinding up lightly against Eggsy’s body. 

Eggsy let his eyes fall shut, “Fuck yes, no regrets,” he huffed out, his hips rolling up to meet Harry’s. He grasped on to Harry’s arms to steady himself as their exploratory grind session got a bit more serious. 

Both men found it impossible to keep their eyes open, they gasped into each other’s mouths, the sensation building quickly. Harry couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so overheated. All of his clothing suddenly felt too tight and he shoved himself off of Eggsy and settled on his knees. His head fell as he tried to catch his breath.

“The fuck?” Eggsy whimpered, breathing just as hard as Harry. 

“I have no desire to come in my pants, Eggsy,” he exhaled quickly. He thought about anything to will down his erection, refusing to look at the no doubt debauched mess that Eggsy was. His fingers drummed against his thighs as he took another deep breath. He opened his eyes and almost instantly regretted it; Eggsy was spread out over the bed, flushed from his cheeks down and his cock was very much still at attention. 

“Too fast?” 

“Much. I’m sorry Eggsy.” He really,  _ really _ was. 

“S’okay.” Eggsy threw his head back against the pillows and let his arm rest over his eyes. “That was...fuck, that was brilliant though.” He grinned weakly, “Can’t wait to see what happens after you take me out for a drink,” he joked, knowing full well he had every intention of repeating their grind session in the back of Harry’s car, possibly with less clothing. 

“Knowing me and knowing a bit about you,” Harry started, “Chances are, we’ll end up in the back of my car.”

“You read my mind,” Eggsy laughed, nudging Harry’s knees with his leg. 

 

\------

  
  
It had been seventeen years since Harry had stepped foot into the The British Oak pub and he had been very happy to report that almost nothing had changed, minus a previously white wall having been painted a mustard yellow. Even the fireplace was roaring and a warmth spread through his chest.  _ This is what coming home should’ve felt like _ , he smiled wistfully to himself. 

The pub itself was surprisingly busy; locals and white-collar workers mingled easily, their laughter and loud chatter, louder than the actual music that no doubt played over the speakers. Harry managed to procure the only available seating space within the entire pub and it just so happened to be a loveseat with a small table, shoved right up against the stone fireplace.

An older woman stood in front of the table and dusted her hands off on her half apron as she grabbed a notepad, “What’ll ye have, love?” She looked up at Harry and her jaw fell, “Harry Hart?! Say me eyes ain’t lyin’!” She leaned forward and stared at him comically, “Oh Lord above, it  _ is  _ you!”

Harry smiled sheepishly, “It is me, Carole. How are you?”

Carole waved away his question and shoved herself into the space next to him, “Love, I’ve been the same I always been. How the hell are ye? Where’ve ye been?” She leaned forward with such honesty curiosity that Harry couldn’t stop the massive smile spreading across his face. 

“I’m well, Carole,” he took immediate notice of her refusal to accept that as an answer and cleared his throat awkwardly. He sighed, “After Lee Unwin’s death, I panicked and left. I went into business for myself and I’m here for the reunion and to make amends with the Unwin’s.”

“Good lad. Lee’s death hit Michelle hard. The town too. He was a lovely man and a good da’.” She nodded solemnly, looking off into the distance. She patted his knee, “I’m glad yer back, Harry,” she smiled widely, “So you’s meetin’ Michelle for a pint?”

Harry choked on his breath and shook his head, “No, not quite.”

At that exact moment, Eggsy walked up to the table and smiled awkwardly at the scene in front of him. 

Carole followed Harry’s gaze and positively beamed at Eggsy, she stood up and immediately cradled Eggsy’s face in her palms, “Oh, me sweet boy!” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheeks aggressively. “You’ve gotten more handsome since I saw ye last!” She lowered herself and patted his cheek once more, “What’ll ye have, love? I know Harry will have a Guinness.”

Eggsy chuckled, “I’ll have a house lager, please.”

Carole nodded and walked away, happily muttering about Eggsy’s manners and what a sweet boy he was. 

Eggsy plopped down next to Harry and leaned against the older man. He couldn’t help himself so he inhaled deeply and grinned, “You smell amazin’ today,” he murmured. 

Harry shivered at the feeling of Eggsy’s breath ghosting along his skin. “If you keep that up,” he turned to face him, “We won’t have a chance to finish our drinks.”

“I already don’t care if we do.” Eggsy nuzzled against Harry’s neck, “There’s so many people in here right now, I doubt anyone is gonna notice if we snog…” his hand rested on Harry’s thigh. 

“Christ, you truly are a tart,” he hissed, carefully removing Eggsy’s hand from his thigh. Harry turned to look into Eggsy’s eyes, “I think it’s best if we have a drink and chat before we end up rutting in the alleyway, don’t you think?”

Eggsy bit his lip slowly, “Dunno mate, the alleyway sounds pretty amazin’ right now. It’s been like a whole day since I saw you last. Don’t make me wait, Harry…”

Harry swallowed roughly, “I’m going to give you a kiss and we’re going to behave like sensible adults for the next thirty minutes, alright?”

Groaning, Eggsy nodded, “Fine, give us a kiss then.”

He gently grasped Eggsy’s chin and leaned forward to brush their lips together. He tried to fight the insistent push of Eggsy’s mouth against his, but relented (disgustingly quickly) and what was supposed to be a quick kiss, turned into an open-mouthed affair. Harry tried to limit the sounds coming from Eggsy but when Eggsy bit down on Harry’s bottom lip, the most embarrassing groan fell from his own mouth. His other hand quickly cupped the other side of Eggsy’s face and he could feel Eggsy’s fists clutching onto his shirt. 

A very pointed cough and a “What’s all this then?” interrupted their snog session. 

Harry awkwardly rearranged his glasses and looked at Carole’s unimpressed expression. “I-uh, well it seems like, oh god...”

“You’re bad at this,” Eggsy grinned foolishly, nudging him in the ribs. “Sorry bout the PDA, Carole.”

Carole’s eyes didn’t move from Harry. She put the beers down and straightened up harshly, “So how long’s this been goin’ on for?” She crossed her arms and glared at Harry. 

His brain quickly picked up on the reason why Carole looked so mad, “Oh god, Carole. Just two days, I swear. Christ, only two days!”

Eggsy turned and made a face at him and then as if a lightbulb went off, he grimaced. “Oh fuck.” He looked at Carole, “Seriously, just two days!” He held up his hands in surrender, “Fuck, like, we ain’t never thought about each other in that way until Harry came into the radio station two days ago!”

Carole’s eyes narrowed, “Good, cos I won’t hesitate to throw ye out on yer arse if you’s a pedo.”

“Fuck no!” Both men exclaimed loudly.

“Christ, Carole, you’ve known me for decades!” 

“I’m sorry, Harry. I read in the paper about one a them last week an’ my skin just crawled. Eggsy’s like a son to a lot of us an’ I just needed to be sure.”

“Trust me, Carole, it’s all above board, yeah? I promise,” Eggsy pleaded. 

Carole sighed, “Sorry, lads. I’m not used to seein’ you both like that.” She gestured towards them. She set her hands on her hips, “Ye look right happy, Eggsy,” she smiled.

Eggsy fought the urge to grin like a fool, “Well it’s not often you get a bespoked out professional killer in your life, right?”

Harry choked on a mouthful of guinness and dabbed his chin with a napkin. He laughed nervously and cautiously looked at Carole and then back at Eggsy.  _ Oh my god, it’s a joke. He doesn’t believe me. _ “The suit does most of the work,” he said awkwardly. To his complete delight, both Carole and Eggsy laughed.

“Ye lads keep it light, a’right? Don’ wanna have to be kickin’ yer arses out fer public indecency,” she teased as she walked back through the crowd. 

Slumping gently against the back of the loveseat, Harry sighed quietly. He couldn’t believe Eggsy didn’t believe him. 

After a few pints each, the greasiest basket of chips and a spirited snog in the back seat of his car, Harry dropped Eggsy off back at the mansion. They’d made plans for the reunion and Harry had struggled with Eggsy’s come hither stare. If he wasn’t careful, they’d be waking up together and it was much too soon for that. He placed a chaste kiss on Eggsy’s soft lips and floated all the way back to his car. 

  
\------

  
Harry sat in his car and glared at the Sainsbury Local. He’d tried to get more information out of his mum but it had been even more depressing. He’d found out that all the money he’d been sending her over the years had all been swindled from her and the representatives from Sainsburys had been “the sweetest boys” and she’d all but  _ given _ them the property. He swallowed the lump of pure hate for the store in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of his vehicle. 

He entered the store and walked past Ryan, the store clerk from before, who was playing an arcade game in the corner, headphones plugged in. Harry rolled his eyes and wandered around the store, looking distastefully at the drinks fridge. 

The front door chimed and Harry casually turned around and his heart rate ratcheted up when he recognized the young woman with fierce bangs from days earlier. Her piercing stare didn’t leave him and he barely had time to reach for his gun before she was shooting at him. He ducked, his back soaked from the exploded drinks from the fridge behind him. The woman dove behind a bread display and they each exchanged a volley of shots; chip bags, tissue boxes and cat litter burst in the air, causing each of them to shield themselves from the debris. 

Harry shoved another clip into his gun and stood up cautiously, waiting to see where the woman had gone. He suddenly remembered Ryan and looked over to see the young man still playing the video game, totally unaware of the carnage happening behind him. “Are you bloody serious?!” Harry hissed. He heard a rustle of a bag and crouched down just in time to miss the shower of bullets sent his way from across the store. “Fuck sakes!” He shifted over to the next shelf and shoved his full body weight against it, causing part of it to collapse, due to the amount of bullet holes in it. He whipped his head around and watched the young woman roll out of the way; he aimed and took a shot, grazing her shoulder. She grunted loudly and took one last shot at him before running out of the store. 

Harry slid around the corner and paused behind the microwave station, staring out the door after her. When he heard the tires squeal, he took in a much needed lungful of air and rested his head against the microwave door. He felt humming against his forehead and his head snapped up, eyes widening at the lump of C4 cooking in the microwave.  _ Twenty five seconds? Fuck! _ Harry stood up and ran out of the store, shouldering fallen displays out of the way. He skidded to a stop outside the shop and dove back in to grab Ryan. He yanked the man by the shirt and ran, dragging him in a healthy distance away before the entire store exploded behind them. The sheer force of the explosion propelled their bodies onto the grass. Harry groaned as he pushed himself up on his elbows, “Are you okay?” 

The young man glared at him, wiping his shirt,  “What the fuck, bruv?! No I’m not!” He pulled on his sleeve to wipe his nose, “Gotta get a new job now, fuck,” he whimpered. “You dick!” 

A choked out laugh escaped Harry’s mouth and he gestured soundlessly as he watched the young man limp away. 

 

\-----

 

Harry hauled his tired body back to his hotel room, immediately pulling up Roxy’s number. 

“Good afternoon, Sir! How are you?”

Harry just groaned in response, falling onto the bed. 

“Hmmm that good huh?”

“It’s been a challenging day, Roxy.”

“Did you do the job?”

“No, I fucking well didn’t. I did however, destroy the idiot store that was my former childhood home, so there’s that.” He loosened his tie and pushed his body further up onto the bed. “Did you find out anything about that woman?”

“You mean aside from the fact that she’s equally terrifying and gorgeous?”

Harry rubbed his temple, “You’ll have to excuse me for missing out on the gorgeous aspect. I was too busy avoiding getting killed.”

“Yikes, sorry sir. But I did upload it for you.”

“Lord, okay.” He moved slowly, sitting up and blindly grabbing his computer. He opened their private database and stared at the picture of the young woman. 

Roxy took a deep breath, “Real name Giselle Diaz, codename: Gazelle. She’s an orphan and the youngest professional killer this side of Berlin. At twelve, she was taken under the wing of Konig Roi.”

Harry laughed, “Right, “King King”. I never understood why someone so deadly would chose such a stupid moniker.”

“This next bit shouldn’t surprise you but she was hired by Chester King and she’s genuinely terrifying, Harry. You need to leave, you need to get out of that city. I’m worried, she’s really good.” 

“Why did he hire her?”

“Apparently the people behind your Birmingham job originally chose him, and he was not happy he got replaced.”

“God he’s the worst,” he sighed, “His idiocy is astounding. But don’t worry, I’ll handle it.” 

  
  


\------

  
  


For the tenth time in the past fifteen minutes, Harry undid and retied his tie again. He’d wondered about wearing his casual grey suit to the reunion but decided he might as well go all out and wear his blue crushed velvet tuxedo jacket with the matching (yes, Roxy, they do match) plaid pants. He took calming breaths as he wandered around his hotel room, avoiding looking at the invite for the reunion. 

He’d make tonight memorable for Eggsy. He’d finally make peace with the memory of Lee. Then first thing tomorrow morning, he’d go kill his target and decide what the hell he was going to do with the rest of his life. Did he want Eggsy to be a part of his life?  _ Yes, one hundred percent. _ Was there an easy way to do that?  _ Not a fucking chance. _ He wondered how long he could carry on in the relationship before Eggsy realized that Harry was a monster who killed for money. Optimistically, he could probably make it six months. Did he want to do that?  _ No. _ His eyes widened at the unsettling feeling in his chest. Was he done killing entirely? That new possibility made his head swim and he sat down on the edge of the bed. 

No more hits. No more contracts with questionable people. Just retirement. He looked around the room and felt all the stress, all the weighted pressure leave his body. He’d never truly entertained the idea of quitting until now and he was happy he was already sitting down. 

Eggsy could be a part of his life if he retired. At the mere mention of the young man, Harry looked over at the clock and panicked. Twenty minutes had gone by and he was beyond fashionably late by now. He stopped by the dresser but decided against taking a weapon. 

Flowers, he’d need to pick up flowers.

 

\-----

 

Eggsy rolled his eyes as he looked as his watch yet again. Half and hour late. He glared at the reunion invite and startled when he heard the doorbell ring. He ran downstairs and opened the door, an unimpressed look on his face. His eyes fell to the ostentatious bouquet of roses in Harry’s hand. “Are those apology flowers?”

Harry gave him a pained smile, “They are, I’m sorry I’m so late.” He handed Eggsy the bouquet and stepped into the house. 

He sniffed the bouquet and eyed Harry carefully, “I was worried you weren’t coming back.” His eyes trailed over Harry’s suit, “The fuck are you wearing?”

Harry looked down at his outfit and back up at Eggsy incredulously, “It’s bespoke!”

Eggsy smirked, “It’s a scream,” he deadpanned. 

“Oh knock it off.”

“Why don’t you go say hi to mum? She’s in the lounge. I’m just gonna go put these in some rubbing alcohol,” he sang sweetly, his judgemental eyes contradicting his kind tone. 

Harry grimaced and begrudgingly walked down the hall towards the lounge. He poked his head in and noticed Michelle colouring with Daisy at the coffee table. He knocked and stood awkwardly, waiting for her to notice him. When she did look up, it took barely any time at all for the recognition to settle in. 

“Mr. Hart.”

“Mrs. Unwin, how are you?”

Michelle gave him a cold once over and pursed her lips. “You were missed, you know that?” When Harry was too shamefaced to answer, she continued. “You left us for seventeen years, Harry. Lee and I loved you and you just left.”

“I don’t have a good excuse-”

“No, you don’t, but Eggsy explained why you left.” She got up and walked towards him, “You were like family, Harry. You’re not allowed to do that again.”

_ Again. _ He was being given a second chance.

Michelle crossed her arms, hugging herself tight, “Lee’s death…” she shook her head, “His death left a hole in this family and we eventually managed to fill it with the love from others. We never blamed you and honestly, for the first couple years, Nan always left a setting for you at the Christmas table.”

Harry’s heart broke open, for nearly two decades he’d imagined endless scenarios of the Unwin’s hating him and all the awful, spiteful words he felt deserved. In his life of strict rules and routines, there was very little that surprised him. Yet, Michelle stood in front of him, not at all seething with rage like he’d expected, just hurt that they’d lost contact. As he stared into Michelle’s eyes, emotions started to bubble up inside him. “I never expected this, Michelle.”

“Never expected what? Me not clocking you good?” She laughed wryly. “It was tempting every once and awhile, in the darker days. But even though Lee isn’t with us anymore, life has turned around.” She stood back and gestured to Daisy, “My girl is growing up surrounded by love and my boy is successful in his own right and what more could I ask for? Staying mad doesn’t solve anything, and after my divorce, I needed counselling to deal with my anger, ‘cause there was a lot of it. So I don’t stay angry. I accept and learn how to move on.”

“You were always an incredible woman, Michelle. You’ve done a wonderful job raising your children and I would love to have a place again within your family.” 

Michelle wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. “Harry, we don’t expect a daily update as to where you’re at, just keep in touch, yeah? You’ll always be welcome here.” She pulled back from the hug and smoothed down the front of his jacket, “Now what the hell are you wearing?”

He scoffed, “It’s bespoke and I think you Unwins have it out for my fashion sense,” he teased. 

“It is a lotta blue, Harry,” Eggsy said, walking into the room. 

Harry threw up his arms in defeat, “Shall I just exchange the suit for yoga pants and a t-shirt?!”

Michelle and Eggsy laughed, the latter placing a kiss on his mum’s cheek and then crouching next to his sister and doing the same. Eggsy picked up Daisy and brought her over to Harry. “Flower, this is Harry, can you say hi?”

Daisy looked up at him warily for all of a second before she smiled brightly and waved, “Hi Harwy.”

“Well good evening, Miss Daisy.” He bowed and shook her hand, “I’m very happy to meet you, your big brother has told me a lot about you.”

Shyness took over and Daisy pushed her face into the crook of Eggsy’s neck. He kissed her head and handed her off to his mum. 

“I’m happy to see you two together again,” Michelle smiled, “Eggsy used to love it when Uncle Harry came over to see him. Isn’t that right, Eggs?”

Eggsy cringed, blushing furiously and staring at the floor. Michelle took no notice of it and carried on, “So try to avoid filling him with sweets like you used to, Harry. I hear tonight is a steak dinner so make sure he eats some meat too.”

“Muuuuuum!” Eggsy groaned. Even the tips of his ears were red now.

Harry side-eyed Eggsy.  _ Dear god, Michelle didn’t know. _ He’d been working under the assumption that Eggsy had been upfront with her about everything. He wasn’t going to be allowed back if she knew the truth. 

“Why are you so red? Are you not feeling well?” She put Daisy down and tried to feel Eggsy’s forehead.

Eggsy’s head hit his chest.  _ This could not possibly get any worse. _

Michelle rolled her eyes, “Oh grow up, Eggs. I didn’t mean it like that! It’s not like you’re dating! It’s just Uncle Harry, he’s heard much worse no doubt.”

“Christ,” Harry muttered, completely unable to look Michelle in the eyes anymore. 

“Oi! Not you too!” She smacked his arm. But then she took a step back and really looked at the men in front of her: Harry wouldn’t even look at her and Eggsy’s blush was still so obvious. Then reality hit her. She suddenly needed to sit down before she fell down. 

“Are you serious?!” she hissed, trying very hard not to shout and scare her daughter. Both men still couldn’t look her in the eye. “Jesus Christ, you two! This had better fucking be a new thing or I will clock you, Harry. They will not find your body.” 

Eggsy immediately put his hands on his mum’s shoulders, pushing her back from Harry. “Mum, I swear, it’s been like three days. That’s it. It’s all above board and we’re consentin’ adults.” he felt like he was going to have to repeat that a lot.

She looked at him with concern, “But he’s older than your Da!” 

“I know Mum, I know! Trust me, it scared both of us for awhile.”

Michelle looked over Eggsy’s shoulder at Harry and then faced her son again, “Is he pressuring you at all?” she whispered.

“Mum! Christ, no! I promise.” He leaned down to look her in the eye, “It’s new to us, it’s still weird, but I like him.”

“It was incredibly unexpected, Michelle,” Harry added, looking apologetic as possible. “If you truly don’t approve, I’ll back off entirely.”

Eggsy turned to stare at him in awe, “Harry!” 

“Being a part of your lives again means the world to me but if your mum doesn’t like us together in that way, I’d rather leave on good terms versus having her hate me again.”

Michelle’s stern expression softened, “Harry, I never hated you. I just, I hated the circumstances. We went through so much in such a short period of time and it was a struggle.” She moved Eggsy’s hands off her shoulders, “I can’t say I understand what is going through both of your heads right now but, you were always a good man, Harry.” She leaned over to nod at him, “And if this turns out to be something, then I guess we’re going to need to have a talk.”

“Absolutely!” Harry agreed quickly. It wasn’t a direct yes but it also wasn’t a direct no either. He had no idea how long he and Eggsy had as a couple but if Michelle was giving him the chance to find out, he wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass him by. He glanced over at Eggsy and could tell similar thoughts were running through his mind as well. 

“I love you, Mum. Thanks for being so understanding.” He kissed her cheek and looped his arm around Harry’s. “We’re already late so we gotta go! Bye, my flower!” 

“Bye, Eggy!” Daisy blew him a kiss and he caught it, slapping it onto his cheek. 

Michelle scooped Daisy up in her arms and followed the two men to the door. As they drove away, she snuggled Daisy closer, “That’s enough excitement for one day, hey?”

 

\------

  
Under the table, Eggsy’s hand sat over Harry’s thigh. He was so close to squeezing it to the point of leaving marks on Harry’s skin. Now that dinner was over, everyone wanted to talk to Harry. Absolutely everyone. And they all asked the same things and he always gave the same answer. Every once and awhile someone would make their way over to talk to Eggsy but it was always with  _ that _ tone of voice and it had been ages since he had to fend off people’s sympathies. He had hoped that people would just have fun stories to tell him about his dad, not constant “we still miss him”’s or “we’re so sorry”’s. It had been seventeen years, he’d dealt with most of his grief and didn’t need the reminders. 

He nudged Harry’s thigh, “Can we go take a walk?” he whispered.

Harry pocketed a pen he’d been given by an old comrade turned lawyer. “Of course darling, let’s go.”

They wandered around a hallway, stopping in front of a few trophy cases to read inscriptions. Eggsy laced their fingers together, and leaned against Harry as they walked. “Mum took it pretty well, hey?”

Harry chuckled, “Well considering I thought you’d already told her, I’d say she did a phenomenal job.”

They stopped again to look at old regent group photos. Eggsy looked up at him, “Were you serious about stopping whatever this is, if Mum didn’t approve?”

“Sadly, yes,” Harry sighed, “It’s taken a lot for me to be back here in general and I can’t have your Mum upset because of me. I’d welcome the opportunity to continue seeing you though.” He turned Eggsy to face him, “It’s been far too short a visit but I feel quite strongly about you, Eggsy.”

Eggsy blushed, “Oh go on,”

Harry checked the rest of the hallway to make sure they were alone before he pressed Eggsy up against the wall. “Would you rather I keep talking or would you prefer I occupy my mouth elsewhere?” He nipped at Eggsy’s jaw causing the young man to moan. 

“Elsewhere,” Eggsy panted. 

“Good choice,” Harry grinned ferally, resting his hands on Eggsy’s hips. “I’m sure there’s an old book room somewhere around here. As much as I’d like to ravish you this instant, I feel like we ought to find somewhere a bit more private.” He laughed when Eggsy shoved him away, only to grab his hand to haul him to an empty room. 

 

\------

 

After a pleasure filled half an hour, they reluctantly left the book room but found themselves unable to let go of each other. Harry clasped Eggsy’s hand in his own and pulled the young man back against him. He nuzzled into Eggsy’s neck, “Darling, I think we should get out of here. Maybe continue this back at my hotel?”

Eggsy groaned, “Ung Harry, yes please.” He turned around and wrapped his arms around Harry’s neck. He nipped at Harry’s lips, his own still a little swollen after eagerly getting acquainted with Harry’s cock. “I should probably go say goodbye to a couple people first.” He pecked Harry’s lips, reluctantly pulling back. 

“I’ll head upstairs and wait for you then,” Harry couldn’t help but smile like an absolute fool at Eggsy as he walked away. He spun around on his heels, his happiness threatening to make him dance his way up the stairs. He shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered aimlessly, smiling at the “Welcome Back” banners. He turned the corner and nearly walked right into Gazelle. 

They jumped back from each other, Gazelle whipped out a gun but Harry had anticipated her movement and kicked the gun out of her hand. Gazelle wasted no time in going after Harry, her fist making contact with his face before he even had a chance to lower his leg. He blocked her next punch, using the momentum to get a hit at her ribs. Gazelle spun around, her foot barely missing Harry and slamming into a shelf against the wall. Harry swung again, Gazelle blocking his fist. They traded shots to each others bodies; Harry landed a vicious punch to her chest and Gazelle countered with a blow to his nose. 

Harry stumbled back and tried to block her rapid kicks with his forearm all while trying not to choke on his own blood. He grasped her arm and swung her into the wall, bending it back till he heard the bone crunch. Gazelle screamed, spinning them around and shoving back against Harry. He elbowed her in the face and shoved her back against the wall. He pressed the back of her neck, immobilizing her enough so he could grab the pen he’d been given earlier. He bit off the cap and stabbed it into her neck, pressing against her till he felt her stop struggling and her blood rushed over his fist. 

He fell to his knees, letting go of Gazelle’s dead body and he stared at the blood-covered pen. He tried to get back his breath but he just ended up hunched over his knees, gasping for air. 

“Harry? You up here?”

Helplessly, Harry just stared as Eggsy rounded the corner and words failed to form. Anything to stop the complete horror and heartbreak on Eggsy’s face from getting worse. 

Eggsy paled and his hand shook as he pointed to the bloody body in front of Harry. “Is, is she dead?”

Harry nodded, “Yes.”

Tears pricked Eggsy’s eyes, “Did, did you?”

“Yes,” Harry’s voice broke. “Eggsy, I can explain!”

Eggsy shook his head, “No. No. You- you’re a monster!” 

“Eggsy, please wait!” But Eggsy had already run back down the stairs. “Fuck!” He punched the wall.

 

\----

 

It wasn’t a joke. Harry was a professional killer and Eggsy had let him into his life. He’d talked his Mum into letting him back into their lives. He wiped at his eyes as he ran, “What the actual fuck?” he whimpered. He opened a door and ran into the chest of one of his Da’s old friends, James Lancelot. 

“Eggsy! Good to see you- dear god, what’s wrong?”

“Harry,” he choked, trying to push against James’ arms. “He’s, oh god!” he sobbed, finally pushing out of James’ arms and making it to the exit. 

James stared after him and then looked up the stairs that Eggsy had just come down. He glanced behind him warily and jogged up the steps. He heard someone groaning and he ran up the last few steps. He skidded around the corner and nearly fell over when he saw Harry with a bloody body. “Jesus Christ man, is that her blood?”

Harry grunted as he tried to lift her, “Yes.” He nodded at one of the welcome banners, “Grab that and help me roll her up.”

They wrapped up the body and hauled it down into the boiler room. Harry grabbed a rag and opened the door to the incinerator itself. “On the count of three, James. One, two, three!” They hoisted the body up and shoved it into the flames. Harry slammed the small door shut and winced when the heat went right through the rag, “God dammit!”

James leaned on his knees and heaved in a deep breath, “So the professional killer thing wasn’t a joke?”

Harry shook his head, “No, and I don’t know why everyone thinks it is!” he wheezed out. 

“It’s probably because you’ve always been pretty private, mate. I never expected you to tell us exactly what you did for a living.” He straightened up and stretched his shoulders. “Is it safe to say that woman was a danger?”

“Yes, she was hired by another hitman.” He glared at his hand. He was going to have blisters, he could already tell. “Let’s get the fuck out of here,” he groaned. 

James mock saluted him, “After you, sir!”

 

\-----

 

Harry sat dejectedly on his hotel bed. After the botched reunion, he’d tried to talk to Eggsy but the young man wouldn’t even open his door. So he’d returned to the hotel for a night of fitful sleep. At around sunrise, he’d given up on the idea of sleep and decided to get a head start on the real reason why he was in town. He unwrapped the red folio, sighing as he opened it, “Might as well get this over with.” A muttered string of curses left his lips as he looked at the familiar picture in the file. 

**Michelle Baker**

**Age: 45**

**Location: Birmingham, England**

Fuck. Sakes. Apparently Michelle’s idiot ex husband still had some pull in prison and managed to have the right sort of connections to have a hit put out on his ex wife. She was set to testify in his fraud trial and her testimony was sure to convict him. He slid out of bed and immediately started to put his kit together. If Chester already knew the details of the case, he couldn’t waste anymore time. 

Luckily it was early enough in the morning so his erratic driving went unnoticed. He pulled into the Unwin Estate and skidded to a stop when he saw Michelle watering her garden. He threw his body out of the car and grabbed his case. “Michelle!”

Michelle whipped around, the hose following her, splashing at Harry’s feet. “Harry? What the hell?”

He grabbed her elbow and hauled her inside, “Get inside, we need to get you inside!”

She wrestled her arm free as he pushed her in the door, “What the fuck is happening?!” 

Harry slammed the door shut, “Dean Baker put a hit out on you.” He looked around for something heavy to push against the door. “I was supposed to be the one to kill you, but I’m obviously not going to-” he pushed a cabinet flush with the door, “-but someone else knows about it and they’ll be coming for you and _ me,”  _ he grunted. 

“Oh god, what do we do?!”

He rested his hand against her lower back, “We get you and your children upstairs and locked away.” He grabbed his case and followed her upstairs. 

Eggsy came out of the washroom and glared at Harry, “What the fuck is he doin’ here? I don’t want to see you again, Harry!” 

“Eggsy, shut up!” Michelle hissed. “Dean paid someone to kill me and Harry was supposed to do it but obviously isn’t going to but someone else is coming here!”

Eggsy’s stubborn attitude disappeared immediately, “Jesus Christ!” He glanced back towards Daisy’s bedroom, he ran towards it and grabbed the sleeping toddler. “It’s okay, babe. It’s okay,” he cooed, brushing her curls behind her ears. He followed Harry and his Mum into the master bathroom. 

“Okay, get in the tub and do not come out.” He set his case down on the hall table, he took out a gun and handed it to Eggsy, “I mean it, do not leave this room.” He shut the door and grimaced when he heard shots fired downstairs. He rushed down and scowled at the random looking men with guns.They’d shot enough at the front door that the door lay in pieces in the foyer. Harry rolled his eyes, Chester couldn’t even fight his own fight.  _ Asshole _ . He took out the two randoms and made his way through the rest of the floor, killing four other men and getting a bullet lodged in his shoulder. He made his way back upstairs to check on the Unwins and slumped against the wall next to the bathroom door. Harry knocked awkwardly with the barrel of his gun, “It’s me,” 

Eggsy opened the door and pointed the gun at Harry, “Make this work.”

Harry smiled weakly at Eggsy. He took the gun, cocked it and made sure the safety was off. “How’s Daisy?”

The toddler was huddled between Eggsy and Michelle in the huge bathtub, Michelle hugged her close, “She’s good, Harry,” She glanced up at him, “Thank you.”

“Anything for your family,” Harry nodded. He shut the door again and stood carefully, listening for any other sounds. Suddenly, he could hear someone whistling. He rolled his eyes and looked over the bannister. “Too snobby to do your own work, Chester?” he called out.

Chester’s sarcastic laugh echoed through the main floor of the mansion. “Oh Harry, I just figured I send in the boys to take care of the Unwins. I’d much rather kill you myself.”

Harry could just hear Chester’s shit-eating grin. “God, I hate you.” 

“Well why don’t you come down here and we’ll discuss it like big boys?” Chester laughed. 

“Why don’t you just fuck off?”

Chester’s voice moved throughout the main level as Harry snuck downstairs, “Oh Harry, watch your language, there’s a child in the house!”

Harry bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from taking Chester’s bait instead sidling against the wall. He spun into the dining room, ducking immediately when one of Chester’s bullets took out a chunk of the wall near where he used to be. He crouched under the breakfast bar, waiting for Chester to make a move. 

“So Harry, is it true that you’re gettin’ your end away with the boy?” Chester snorted.

“I’ve so missed your crass behaviour.” He stretched his arm over the counter top and shot blindly a few times. 

Chester answered with his own volley of bullets, “I’m not hearing a no!”

“Oh fuck off!” Harry emptied his clip into the kitchen. He waited for Chester to shoot back at him, but he was only met with silence. “Are you out?”

“Of bullets? Yes. Just join the fucking union Harry! I’ll stop trying to kill you if you join us.”

“Seems likely!” Harry surveyed his surroundings, needing another weapon. He noticed an older television sitting on top of a shelf. He stood up carefully and wrapped his arms around the huge box, “Do I have to work on holidays?”

The joy was apparent in Chester’s voice, “Only if you want to. Think of it, Harry! You’d basically be management!”

Harry hesitated before lifting up the heavy television, “Shake on it?”

“Seriously? Of course, Harry!”

He heaved the television right over counter top and smashed it over Chester’s head as the man tried to stand up. The old man collapsed immediately and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He rested on the counter, cradling his skull in his palms. It was finally over. He stood up and hissed at the pain radiating from his shoulder. He didn’t even remember hurting it. 

Harry slowly made his way back upstairs, pausing on the landing to catch his breath. He finally made it up to the bathroom and he knocked on the door. He would forever be grateful that he heard the telltale click of a gun and dove out of the way before Eggsy shot him. He clutched his chest in a panic, “Jesus, Eggsy! It’s me!” 

The bathroom door opened and Eggsy popped his head out of the tub, his hand holding the gun, dangling over the edge. “Sorry.” He shrugged sheepishly. 

“Oh you ridiculous boy,” Harry sighed. After everything, he still couldn’t believe how gone he was for Eggsy. He watched the Unwin family crawl out of the tub, “I realize this isn’t the best time for it but, I think I’ve officially retired and erm, as I’ve got a fair amount of free time on my hands, I was wondering if you’d rather like to go away with me for a bit?” Silence followed. He wasn’t surprised by Eggsy’s hesitance. He knew what he looked like, sweaty, disheveled, covered in blood and bruises. He didn’t exactly look like a good romantic option. 

Michelle cuddled Daisy and looked between Eggsy and Harry, “Well, you’ve got my blessing.”

Both men stared at her like she had two heads. “What?” She shrugged, “He just saved our lives, Eggsy! He at least deserves a chance. I can’t imagine anyone safer to be with.” She nudged him with her shoulder, “Go on, Eggs.” She ignored the pleading look on his face and left the room. 

Eggsy hugged his sides, his eyes cataloguing Harry’s injuries. “Do you need to sit down?”

Harry laughed humourlessly, “Darling, I’m pretty sure I’ll never get up again if I sit down. I should probably get to a hospital though. Fancy a date in a waiting room?” He winced, clutching his shoulder. “Sooner rather than later, if possible?”

“Can I drive your car?” Eggsy asked, grinning like a hopeful fool. 

Harry struggled to get his keys out of his jacket pocket, “Just this once,” he winced, tossing the keys to Eggsy. 

“Brilliant!” He maneuvered himself under Harry’s good arm, “Let’s go, you can buy me an apology present in the gift shop.”

“Well isn’t that sweet of me?” 

“I sure thought so.” Eggsy leaned up and placed a chaste kiss on Harry’s cheek. “I feel like it’s the least you can do after scaring the life out of me on more than one occasion in the past 24 hours.”

Harry scoffed, “I don’t know why no one took me seriously! I was very upfront with what I did for a living!”

“To be fair, it made more sense for you to be a tailor or something. I figured you were taking the piss!” 

“Yes, because I’m one to joke often.” He rolled his eyes.

Eggsy patted Harry’s chest, “I’ve seen the velvet tux, Harry. I know you’re capable of joking.”

Harry stopped Eggsy before he got to the front door, “Right, I’ll get myself to the bloody hospital, you wanker!” He’d made it all of a few steps before Eggsy’s arm wrapped around his waist. 

“Oh relax, you know how much I enjoyed you in that suit. Once you’re better, we’ll work on repeating that evening, yeah?”

“I think you’re bound to be the best part of my retirement.” Harry grinned, pressing a kiss to Eggsy’s hair. 

“I’ll make sure to make the next chapter of your life  _ very _ enjoyable, Mr. Hart.” 


End file.
